Summer has come in hot, literally. With long days and record breaking temperatures throughout the USA, beaches have been packed, boats have been floating into the evening hours and the ocean temperatures in the north east are beginning to rise. But as we have learned over the years, just wait a minute, and weather can change. Last weekend was the first since early spring where it didn’t rain on Saturday. Hopefully it gave you a feeling that maybe the summer season will be a good one weather wise. Just don’t look at the forecast for this Saturday.
Summer does come with its challenges, however. The one that has puzzled me for the past 40 years is how to explain to children that it really is bedtime even though the sun is still shining bright. Do you have any creative ways that have worked for you? It’s hard to teach a 4 year old how to tell time and that bedtime is tied to the clock. Room darkening shades only do so much, as kids are smart enough to peek outside to see that it isn’t dark yet. The same issue holds true on the other end of the day as the sun comes up beaming shortly after 4 am near the coast.
The only creative solution that I’ve come up with is to go with the flow. We know that eventually even a toddler will tire out and want to go to sleep. Here is what I tried.
I asked the toddlers, “would you like to stay up to midnight?” Even though they don’t really understand what midnight is, a little explanation that it is a late bedtime and they enthusiastically agree that your idea is grand. A few books, a round or 10 of the card game Uno, playing with toy cars and stuffed animals and maybe even a TV show and it worked. Around 8:30, a 5-year-old looked at me and said he was ready for bed. The only problem with that, is that he wasn’t the only one ready for bed… parents or grandparents are likely to be right behind them. And that’s not a bad idea when you expect another early sunrise.
Summer is the season that most New Englander’s look forward to all year. If you can figure out how to get the kids to bed to enjoy a little of the beautiful summer evenings for yourself, please do share it with us. Our collective sanity will be grateful.
